deceased 1 of 3

deceased

2 of 3

verb

past tense of decease

deceased

3 of 3

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective deceased contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of deceased are dead, defunct, departed, and late. While all these words mean "devoid of life," deceased, departed, and late apply to persons who have died recently. deceased is the preferred term in legal use.

the estate of the deceased

Where would dead be a reasonable alternative to deceased?

While in some cases nearly identical to deceased, dead applies literally to what is deprived of vital force but is used figuratively of anything that has lost any attribute (such as energy, activity, radiance) suggesting life.

a dead, listless performance

When is defunct a more appropriate choice than deceased?

The meanings of defunct and deceased largely overlap; however, defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation.

a defunct television series

When could departed be used to replace deceased?

The words departed and deceased can be used in similar contexts, but departed is used usually as a euphemism.

our departed sister

When is it sensible to use late instead of deceased?

Although the words late and deceased have much in common, late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status.

the company's late president

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deceased
Adjective
GEDMatch is one of the databases used by the DNA Doe project, a non-profit that works to name the deceased who remain unidentified. Crimesider Staff, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2018
Verb
She was later declared legally deceased, the laboratory said. Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2025 All 48, including the 28 who are deceased. ABC News, 5 Oct. 2025
Noun
The intense search effort for two missing elk hunters in southern Colorado came to an end Thursday, when rescuers with Colorado Search and Rescue found both Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko deceased, according to an update from Porter’s aunt, Lynne Runkle. Kris Millgate, Outdoor Life, 18 Sep. 2025 Authorities found Beverly unresponsive inside the bedroom, and the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced the victim deceased shortly thereafter. Rachel Raposas, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deceased
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceased
Adjective
  • Tom is torn between loyalty to his dead wife and love for the estranged son who killed her.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The rush would close in, the play would appear dead — and the five-star recruit and Tennessee transfer would evaporate from the pocket.
    Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In deference to the late, great Ryne Sandberg, who died from acute prostate cancer this past July at 65, this column about the current Cubs-Padres Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field is for him.
    Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Police in Bavaria, the state where Munich is located, said the suspect was believed to be a 57-year-old German citizen who, according to preliminary findings, had died by suicide near a lake in northern Munich.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Details on firearm ownership were missing for 23% of the decedents.
    Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Federal Estate Tax Exclusion The federal estate tax exclusion for decedents dying in 2026 will increase to $15,000,000 per person or $30,000,000 per married couple.
    KELLY PHILLIPS ERB, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • If your flower beds were besieged with pests or fungal diseases, the fallen leaf litter and stems from those plants should not be left in the garden.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Regardless of today’s sentencing, the fallen mogul continues to face an uphill legal battle, with dozens of civil suits filed against him since his federal indictment last year.
    Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The role of Doug McBride, who was played byJason Graham, perished in a car crash.
    Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Almost all 19 of the people who died in the blaze perished in the neighborhood.
    Chiara Eisner, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Alongside using the corpses to create furniture for his house, Ed also began constructing a skin suit of a woman made from human remains of at least 15 women, per A&E.
    Yasmeen Hamadeh, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Ed Gein, who became infamous for crimes committed in rural Plainfield, Wisconsin, admitted to the killing of two women and stealing corpses from graves.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But when will Swift's latest project be released on Spotify and Apple Music?
    Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Ineffective policies for the EV market could mirror the loss of the solar energy industry, says Wendy Cutler, senior vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute, where too-late action left America outpaced and China controlling more than 80 percent of the world’s solar panels.
    Rebecca A. Fannin, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Onscreen, a bridezilla sent an equivalent table soaring through a banquet hall, felling at least one chandelier.
    Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
  • They’re supposed to do fine in extreme heat and snow, though residents of other cities have had to rescue them when they’ve been felled by weather.
    Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Deceased.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceased. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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